Eric Heft was a high school senior in the 1960s when he stared down at the hole in the ground, speculating about the possibilities.

At the time, Hilton Coliseum had no substance, just plans on paper to fill a hole in the ground. But when Heft took a look, he knew it could be something special.

“It was one of the reasons I wanted to come [to Iowa State],” said Heft, who now is a Cyclone radio broadcaster. “I saw how beautiful the gymnasium was going to be and … that had a large impact on my decision to come to Iowa State.”

More than 40 years later, that black hole that Heft remembers seeing has housed some of ISU’s most magical athletic moments.

As Heft walked into Hilton Coliseum in 1971 for Iowa State’s first game at the arena, the scene was surreal. With 14,000 fans filling the newly finished seats and cheering on their beloved Cyclones, Heft struggled to understand the magnitude of the moment.

“At the time, you aren’t thinking of all of the things that are going to happen there in the future,” Heft said. “You’re just kind of reveling in that moment. It was a great moment.”

Iowa State started Hilton Coliseum history with a bang, securing a win against the Arizona Wildcats, a team that was a far cry from the most recent Arizona teams.

Since that opening game, Hilton Coliseum has become one of the top venues in college sports. The 14,383-seat arena has held five national wrestling meets and many more NCAA national events in basketball, gymnastics and volleyball.

The inaugural season at Hilton Coliseum also marked the Iowa men’s basketball team’s first visit to Ames since 1931.

It was only fitting that Hilton Coliseum hosted the contest, housing a special moment that Heft still remembers today.

With Iowa State up 95-94 against Iowa in front of a crowd of 15,000, Heft swiped away the ball from the Iowa offense and dished it off for the basket that would seal the deal for Iowa State. The high-scoring game finished at 97-94 — an exceptional amount of points considering the absence of a 3-point line.

Hilton Coliseum quickly gained national attention when it hosted the 1972 Midwest Division in the NCAA Tournament.

The Cyclones were unable to make the first decade of Hilton Coliseum special. In the first 14 years at Hilton, Iowa State never made it to the NCAA Tournament, extending a drought that dated to 1944, when Iowa State advanced to the Final Four.

That changed in 1985.

Aided by an 11-3 record at Hilton Coliseum, Iowa State made its first NCAA Tournament appearance in 41 years with a 21-13 overall record.

Despite a first-round exit courtesy of Ohio State, that season started a national tournament streak that saw the Cyclones, coached by Johnny Orr, make nine tournaments in 12 seasons. Iowa State went 140-38 at Hilton Coliseum during that time span.

It was the beginning of Hilton Magic.

The Cyclones are no strangers to going on winning streaks at home throughout their history at Hilton Coliseum. Most notably, Iowa State won 39 consecutive games at Hilton Coliseum from 2001-03, the second longest home winning streak in the NCAA at the time.

It’s a large part of what ISU fans call the improbable and “magical” comebacks and victories against top-ranked opponents at Hilton Coliseum —Hilton Magic.

Most recently, the magic was on show against Oklahoma on March 2, 2015. The Cyclones trailed the then-No. 15 Sooners by 21 points in the game, but the crowd carried the team to a seven-point victory. It was the largest comeback in ISU men’s basketball history.

“Just all of the comebacks over the years,” Heft said of his favorite moments at Hilton Coliseum. “A lot of memories there. Quite a few game-winners happen there. I think the crowd has a lot to do with that to help the team late in the game.”

The crowd has helped Hilton Coliseum soar in the national college basketball arena rankings.

Dan Wetzal of CBSsports.com ranked the arena No. 10 in the nation, while bleacherreport.com put it at No. 7. The reports cited the fan support of a team that has never won a national championship.

“The fans are unbelievable,” Heft said. “All the team has to do is make one play and the crowd will make that play into momentum. I don’t think there is a better momentum place than Hilton, and the players just feed off that. There’s no place better than Hilton.”

With the fan support and comebacks during the years, Heft has no doubt that Hilton Magic is real.

“Yes,” Heft said without hesitation. “I’m a bit of a cynic at times, but when you see something over and over again — Hilton Magic exists, there’s no doubt in my mind.”